Pavlova

DOGGY DAY OUTINGSummary of volunteer notes from an outing on 10/7/26Dog hopped into the car easily. Calm/relaxed during car ride with some panting. Mild initial pulling and light scanning at Lake Temescal; startled once by geese. Showed interest in geese and squirrels but lost interest and continued walking with handlers. Transitioned to loose-leash walking, navigated floating barge, rolled in grass during break.At cafe, briefly pulled toward store but easy to distract; enjoyed ice water and pup cup. In Pet store, dog remained calm with minimal pulling and accepted treats gently. Maintained loose, confident body posture with tail above spine throughout outing.

Background: Brought in by finder on 8/15/26. Finder had dog in the home overnight. Reported that dog was very sweet, young, and energetic. Slept in bed with the owner overnight. Hopped right in the car. Was hyper, friendly, and whined in the car. Given Yellow dot on intake. Staff noted dog was nervous during intake procedures but allowed all handling. First time meeting handler for evaluation on 8/20/26.

O: Dog came to the door with loose wagging tail and relaxed musculature. Easy to leash. Moderate pulling down the hallway. Dropped leash in the yard. Dog walked away to sniff. Ran to handler when called. Loose side to side full body wagging. Bounced around in front of handler. Sat when asked. Took treats with a soft mouth. Followed tossed toys, picked up stuffy toy and pranced around with it in her mouth. Followed tossed tennis ball and caught it in her mouth then ran around wagging her tail before dropping it. Bounced around again making light contact with handler. Dog looked towards another dog in an adjacent yard. Whined and walked towards the other dog with some piloerection between shoulder blades, tall body language and stiff wagging tail. Followed handler when spoken to. Leaned in to pets all over head, neck, chest, shoulders, back, with soft face relaxed musculature, soft wagging tail. Walked with moderate pulling back to kennel and some sudden hard pulling. Entered kennel ahead of handler.B No issues removing slip leash by hand.B

A: Affiliative and playful. Shows enjoyment with pets. Medium energy. Can pull hard while on leash, but generally walks well. Knows sit. Playful and enjoys independent play with toys. Yellow for volunteer handling d/t some jumping and occasional hard pulling on leash. Consider for Green if recommended by volunteers.

P: Make available for adoption. Recommend adopters continue to work on basic manners (leash skills, recall, sit) using a patient, reward-based training approach. Dog may be a good fit for a variety of homes. Observed somewhat jumpy behavior and large size may make a home with young children less suitable.

S: Dog-dog evaluation with a male and female tester dog. Tester dogs selected due to their ability to politely greet and not escalate conflict.

O: At the gate, dog pressed nose into the fence, tail wagging rapidly, some whining. Entered the yard with leashes held. Pulled to greet the female tester. Stood still with some lip licking, tail wagging rapidly, sniffing at her side. Male tester approached to sniff at her rear. Dog stood still, licking her lips with some tail wags. Male walked away, dog shook off and began to wiggle and wag her tail.B

A: Learning Dog Skills (possibly Independent), Medium Energy, Medium Contact, Neutral-Forward Social Dynamic, no Corrections or Conflict observed, Playgroup Size 2-3.

P: Recommend placement with appropriately matched dogs, or placed as a solo dog with appropriate dog friends.

Pavlova – Happy, Affectionate, and Full of Personality

Pavlova is a 4-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix weighing 67 pounds. She’s a joyful, affectionate girl with a big grin, a wiggly body, and the happiest windshield-wiper tail.

• A people-loving sweetheart: Pavlova loves attention and will happily jump onto outdoor furniture to get closer to her person. She’s a big leaner, enjoys butt scratches, and may even try to climb into your lap for extra cuddles.
• Happy and playful: Pavlova is always cheerful and may be a little bouncy when excited, especially when greeting people.
• Smart and treat motivated: She responds to “sit,” takes treats gently, and can even catch them mid-air!
• Calm around other dogs: Pavlova calmly passes barking dogs nearby and generally ignores her noisy neighbors.
• Likely housetrained: She prefers to go outside to do her business and keeps her kennel quite clean.

Pavlova is working on her leash manners in the shelter but has shown great leash walking manners on a recent field trip. She would do best with appropriately matched dogs or as a solo dog with appropriate dog friends.